In a release posted to its Twitter account on Tuesday, the Richfield Police Department said the officer, who was not identified, "was placed on administrative leave pending investigation."
— Richfield Police (@RichfieldPD) October 6, 2015
The video, which was posted to Twitter, shows an officer shouting at a young man identified as 19-year-old Kamal Gelle, the Minneapolis Star Tribune reports.
The officer shoves Gelle and says loudly, "Now move when I tell you to!" When Gelle does not comply, the officer shouts "We're working right here, so [expletive] move!" The officer then smacks Gelle in the back of the head with an open palm and gives him another shove as the video ends.
The incident occurred around 6:30 p.m. Saturday, according to the Star Tribune. Police had received a phone call about a "suspicious person," and a vehicle was stopped.
The police statement acknowledged that the department was aware of a video of the encounter but said nothing further about the video.
Gelle, who is Somali, told the AP that he was pulled over and given a citation for careless driving. The teen said he then got out of his car to use his cellphone, and that is when the officer pushed him and hit him in the side of his head.
"He's a cop," said Gelle. "He had two dogs in the car barking. He had a gun. With everything that's been going on with police … I got scared. I thought I was going to be a victim."
Mohamed Hayir, who recorded the video from his car, said: "There was no reason to smack him. I don't understand why that happened. They are abusing their power. They can't just go around smacking kids for no reason."
Members of the Somali Human Rights Commission, concerned about whether the incident was racially motivated, met with Richfield's police chief Tuesday.
"When someone with a uniform and a badge hits someone unnecessarily, it’s horrible. It’s an ultimate exercise of force by authorities. We are calling for this behavior to stop," said the group's chief executive, Omar Jamal.
Minnesota is home to the largest Somali population in the United States, with the highest concentration in the Minneapolis-St. Paul area.
